Apparatus for mounting fabric edge on needle chain



April 22, 1958 H. VITS 2,831,234

APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING FABRIC EDGE 0N NEEDLE CHAIN Filed Dec. 5, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet l #JMQE 1455 H. VlTS April 22, 1958 APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING FABRIC EDGE ON NEEDLE CHAIN 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 5, 1956 Invenbf'.

April 22, 1958 H. VlTS 2,831,234

APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING FABRIC EDGE ON NEEDLE CHAIN Filed Dec. s, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 "A'NWH...

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April 22, 1958 H. vrrs 2,831,234

APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING FABRIC EDCE ON NEEDLE CHAIN Filed Dec. 5, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 1V 5/ .50 I HHHHH 4.9

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APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING FABRIC EDGE on NEEDLE CHAIN Filed Dec. 5, 1956 H. VlTS April 22, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor United States Patent APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING FABRIC EDGE N NEEDLE CHAIN Hilmar Vits, Duesseldorf, Germany, assignor to Vits- Ele'ktro G. in. b. H., Duesseldorf, Germany, a corpo ration of Germany Application December 5, 1956, Serial No. 626,391

4 Claims. (Cl. 226-57) The invention relates to textile machinery, and relates more particularly to apparatus for properly attaching the edges of a strand or web of fabric to conventional needle carrying chains.

It is of importance for the treatment of the fabric in the textile machinery that the strand of fabric be properly mounted on the needle chains. Difficulties in mounting fabric strands on needle chains are experienced, for instance, where two strands are united into one strand and wherein the edge on one side may be either too taut or too slack.

irregularities between the two edges of the fabric may also occur in spite of guiding means applied, owing to the fact that occasionally a crease within one of the edges may be carried over. Such irregularities and particularly slack edges of the fabric may result in the fact that the strand or web may not properly be attached to the needle chains, occasioning disturbances and interruptions in the progress of the work. These difiiculties occur often with woven or knitted material made of rayon or nylon or Perlon, because owing to the stu'face smoothness of these materials there easily occurs a sliding within the feeding means, and also the edges of the material tend to roll over towards the center of the strand.

Many proposals have been made for the mounting of strands or webs of fabric on needle chains, including a o proposal by the applicant set forth in his German Patent The instant invention aims to improve such earlier proposals and to render possible a proper mounting of Webs or strands of fabric on needle chains which is operative even with materials having uneven edges and/or smooth surfaces including rayon, nylon, or Perlon. The invention includes the provision of brush rolls, one for each edge portion of the fabric, and is based on the theory that a rotational momentum of the shaft driving the brush rolls is a true indication of the tension within the edge portion of the fabric engaged by the roll. The invention accordingly arranges for a steady rotational momentum imparted to the shaft of the brush roll, and provides for a slip clutch that is adjustable in accordance with the desired rotational momentum. In this manner it is possible to drivethe needle chain mounting apparatus for each edge portion of the fabric at a greater speed and to transmit the drive energy to the brush rolls under constant slippage of the clutch, resulting in uniform tension exerted onto both edge partions.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of an apparatus in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a large scale elevational view of a detail, partly in section, taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 5;

2,831,234 Patented Apr. 22, 1958 accompanying drawings and for description in this specification, and referring now particularly to Figs. 1-3, there is provided a machine in accordance with the invention, wherein a frame 1, by means of rolls 2, supports two chain supporting frames 3. Each chain supporting frame 3 includes near its forward end portion a chain reversal wheel (Fig. 3) for a needle chain 5. The web or strand of fabric 6 is entered into the machine between a guide roll 7 and a feed roll 8 and is fed over a guide plate 9. to two opposite needle mounting apparatus 10. Each apparatus 10 will mount one edge portion of the fabric onto the needle chain 5 of its chain supporting frame 3. Adjacent the guiding plate 9 there may be provided for each edge portion of the fabric an electric contact device 11 for controlling in a conventional manner the movement of the chain supporting frames 3. Brush rolls 12 arelatable transmission device 16, the transmission ratio of which may be regulated by means of a regulator 17. The transmission device 16 drives an output shaft 18 which transmits by a belt 19 the energy to the feed roll 8. The same output shaft 18 drives a spindle 21, by means of a chain 20; the spindle 21 is journalled in bearings 22 which are supported on an extension 23 of the frame 1. On the spindle 21 there are mounted two sprocket wheels 24 which are movable axially on the spindle, but which are coupled for rotation with the spindle in any position on the spindle. Each of the sprocket wheels 24 drives, by means of a chain 25, a wheel 26 (Fig. 1) that is disposed in the apparatus 10. Upon movement of either chain supporting frame 3 parallel of the axis of the spindle 21,

the corresponding sprocket wheel 24 will be shifted accordingly along the spindle 21.

The wheel 26 in each apparatus 10 is connected (by means of a gear, not shown) with a gear element 27 (Fig. 6). The gear 27 has two friction disks 28 COD: nected therewith and rotatable with the gear 27, forming a. part of a slip clutch 28a. The gear 27 is rotatable on a shaft 29, being mounted relative thereto on a ball bearing, and the shaft 29 is rotatable in turn in a housing 30. On the shaft 29 there is mounted for rotation therewith a friction disk 31. Opposite thereto, there is mounted on the shaft 29 for rotation therewith a friction disk 32 which is shiftable axially on the shaft 29 but revolves in all positions with the shaft 29. vs

The disk 32 has a cylindrical hub 32a on which there are disposed resilient means such as helical springs 33, A" lid 34 that is mounted at the free end of the shaft 29 secures the springs 33 against removal off the hub 32a. The springs 33 are composed of several helical springs of smaller force with similar windings placed immediately adjacent each other; in this manner, there result several groups of helical springs of difierent force, which apply their force in series like a singlebelical spring. The force of the springs 33 load the slip clutch 28a, which comprises the gear 27, the disks 28 and the disks 31 and 32, by forcing into abutment the friction disks 31 and 32 of the shaft 29 with the friction disks 28 of the gear ele ment 27.

In order to regulate the force applied by the springs 33, and therefore the traction force of the slip clutch 28a and the rotational momentum transmitted from the gear 27 to the shaft 29, there is provided a pre-tensioning means such as an adjuster 35a. The adjuster 35a includes a cover 35 that is mounted in the housing 30; a holder 36 is threaded in the cover 35, and may be turned manually by means of a hand wheel 37. A bell-shaped member or applicator 38 is journalled in the holder 36, by means of a ball bearing, co-axially with the shaft 29; the open end of the applicator 38 freely telescopes over the free end of the shaft 29 and with its edge applies pressure against the outermost of the helical springs 33. A set screw 39 is provided to secure releasably the holder 36 in any position to which it has been threaded. Thus, to increase the tension of the springs 33, the operator will loosen the set screw 39 and thread the holder 36 by means of the handle 37 deeper into the housing 39 towards the shaft 29. The applicator 38 will thereby increase the pressure exerted onto the spring 33, thus increasing the spring tension. Upon reaching the desired adjustment position, the operation will then again tighten the-set screw 39 to maintain the holder 36 in the adjusted position.

As best shown in Fig. 5, a brush roll 40 is mounted on the other end of the shaft 29. Adjacent the brush roll 40 there is disposed on the shaft 29, coaxially with the roll 40, a brush carrying hollow casing 41. The brushes of the roll 46 and of the casing 41 have the same diameter and turn with the same peripheral speed. The casing 41 is secured on a bushing 42 that is keyed on the shaft 29. The bushing 42 includes an integral gear 43, and carries ball bearings on which there is mounted rotatably above the axis of the shaft 29 a carrier 44. The carrier 44 carries a rotatable shaft 45 that is parallel to but spaced from the shaft 29. On the shaft 45 there is keyed a gear 46 as well as a needle disk 47. The needle disk 47 is arranged between the brushes of the roll 40 and of the casing 41, and its needles project slightly beyond the orbit of the brushes.

The gear 46 is driven from the gear 43 by means of a pinion 48 (Fig. 4) which is also journalled in the carrier 44. The ratio of transmission is so chosen that the needle disk 47 will have a peripheral speed which is smaller than the peripheral speed of the brushes of the roll 40 and of the casing 41.

A plate 49 (Figs. 4 and is mounted at one end on the carrier 44, and is disposed between the brushes of the roll 40 and the casing 41 and projects beyond the orbit of the brushes. The other end of the plate 49 is secured by means of a bolt 50 to an arm 51 that is tiltably mounted on the housing 30 and is adjustable thereon between various positions of tilting. The arm 51 surrounds in sleeve-like manner the housing 30, and its position may adjustably be fixed by tightening the sleeve around the housing 30. In this manner it is possible to vary the position in space of the needle disk 47 relative to the vertical direction, in order to position it most advantageously for the application of one edge position of the fabric onto the needle chain 5.

As mentioned earlier, each of the apparatus will be driven with such a rotational speed that the fabric 6 will be held at its edge portions under tension, and that there will be constant slippage of the slip clutch 28a. In this manner the edge portions of the fabric will be all) 4 held under uniform tension, and the electric contact securing device 11 may operate troublc=free, and the edge portions of the fabric 6 will be mounted on the needle chains 5 uniformly.

it is possible to compensate for an increased work operational speed by changing the ratio of the stepless transmission device 16 by means of the regulator 17. It is therefore possible to utilize the apparatus for various types of fabric with various operational speeds. Since upon changing of the driving speed, there occurs no change in ratio between the rotational speed of the roll 8 relative to the rotational feed speed of the apparatus 10,'t.here will be for any operational speed the same conditions for the maintenance of the tension in the edge portions of the fabric 6 and for the maintaining of the fabric on the needle chains 5.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention, what Iclaim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. An apparatus for applying the edge portions of a fabric strand to the needles of needle chains, comprising two coaxial rotary brushes driven at a selectively adjustable peripheral speed, and a needle disk disposed between the needle brushes and rotating about an axis eccentric relative to the axis of rotation of said brushes and rotating at a peripheral speed smaller than that of said brushes, a shaft driving said brushes and said needle disk, and an adjustable slip clutch in driving connection with said shaft for transmitting to said shaft an adjustably predeterminable rotary momentum.

2. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said slip clutch comprising an element rotating at uniform speed, friction members connected to said element and-rotatable therewith, and two friction disks mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith and abutting against said friction members of said element, at least one of said friction disks of said shaft being movable axially on said shaft, resilient means pressing said friction disks of said shaft into abutment with said friction members of said element, and pre-tensioning means movable for adjustment axially of said shaft and operable for adjustably pre-tensioning said resilient means.

3. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 2, said resilient means comprising a plurality of helical springs of different force arranged in series, said pre-tensioning means comprising a bell-shaped member freely telescoping over the free end of said shaft and engaging the terminal among said helical springs.

4. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 2, said springs being resilient means comprising a plurality of helical springs grouped in groups arranged immediately adjacent eachother, said springs of each group being Wound in similar manner and direction of winding, said groups of springs differing in force.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 912,325 Germany May 28, 1954 

